See You Next Wednesday
by mizzshy
Summary: A chance meeting in a coffee shop leads to confessions and more for two former host club members. KaoruxHaruhi. FutureFic.
1. Chapter 1

**Ouran Fanfiction**

**See You on Wednesday**

**Author's notes:**

So this is a Fanfiction requested by my friend and rp team-mate on Gaia, and it's a futurefic for the pairing Kaoru/Haruhi because, she says, there aren't enough of them. So I hope you like this. I know it's taken a while and I'm very sorry.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran. I want to. But I don't.

--

Cold November rain pours down in sheets around Kaoru as he hurries down the road, umbrella clutched in his fingers and bag dangling haphazardly from his shoulder. The veil of precipitation makes everything appear misty, and greyer than usual, and as Kaoru sighs in exasperation and pauses under the awning of a coffee shop, his breath is visible in the sodden air.

_Why did I tell Hikaru to go ahead?_ he asks himself presently. _It's still at least ten minutes to the dorms. You'd think they put them on campus..._

He mentally grumbles to himself, a slight scowl on his attractive and currently soaked face. His cat-like, golden eyes lift to the heavens, only to be greeted by dark grey, rolling clouds. They show no sign of desisting in their endless action of dropping water down to the already wet earth.

Kaoru curses under his breath and folds down his umbrella, deciding that he'll be better off going inside to wait for the rain to let up. Once indoors, and mercifully free from the tumult of rain, the redhead gazes about the clean and friendly-looking café. The place is low-ceilinged, but many lights illuminate it, giving it as bright, airy feeling, so separate from the heavy greyness outside. Other people, also wet and frazzled-looking, sit about at other tables, nursing steaming cups of coffee and reading newspapers and books. Some sit in pairs or small groups, and Kaoru's ears catch small snatches of conversation as he passes them and takes a seat in the corner.

Discovering that his phone is out of battery, he slouches slightly in his seat and stares in annoyance at the tabletop before him. Presently, a waitress approaches him and he sullenly asks for a coffee, still staring at the table. A few minutes later, he has calmed somewhat and looks up at the returning waitress to thank her.

When she gives him a smile, he stops and stares at her, suddenly recognising the slight girl before him. Her hair has grown a little, cut to a tufty bob that sits in very slight waves around her face. Her large, brown eyes are exactly the same as before, full of knowledge and kindness, and now tinged with something deeper that comes with age. She is taller, even if by only a few centimetres, and Kaoru blinks several times at how very _different_ she looks from them only having been apart for a few months.

"Haruhi?" he feels a need to check, to make sure that she is not some apparition, or some stranger with the same features.

"Kaoru," she smiled wider at him, warmth coming to her large chocolate-coloured eyes. "Hi, it's good to see you..."

"You too," replies Kaoru fervently, grinning at her. "How have you been? How's uni?"

The smile drops from her face and her gaze falls to the table, staring intently at the coffee she's just put down. "Uhh... yeah, it's... okay I guess... How are you?"

Kaoru's eyebrows furrow in confusion and slight worry. "Haruhi, what's wrong?"

Her head lifts and he glimpses a startled expression, before another smile- obviously forced- appears on her face. "Oh, nothing, Kaoru, really. I was just thinking about umm... which chores I need to do later..."

Kaoru raises his eyebrows in an I-can-tell-you're-lying kind of way. "I'm not buying it," he tells her flatly.

"Kaoru..." she looks and sounds strained, not something Kaoru is used to. "Kaoru, can we please not talk about this right now?"

"So there _is_ something the matter then?"

She sighs. "I finish my shift in half an hour. We'll talk then."

--

Quarter of an hour later, the rain has stopped, but Kaoru continues to sit in the corner, drinking his coffee so slowly that by the time he's finished, the last brown dregs have turned cold, and eventually Haruhi approaches him, now in her normal clothes and shrugging on a coat.

"Come on," she says, giving a signal to a guy at the counter that she's leaving. "I'll walk you to the dorms."

Once they've gone back outside, inhaling the fresh, wet scent of rain-soaked evening, they begin wandering along together in silence, until Kaoru's curiosity and concern overrides his patience, and he asks, "So, what was wrong earlier?"

A kind of invisible curtain falls over Haruhi's features, and her expression becomes down-heartened and careful, even guarded.

"Uni," she answers blankly as they turn a corner onto another road, mist obscuring the end of the street from their view.

"Oh... what about it?" asks the twin. "Are you not enjoying it? I can't imagine that- you work really hard..."

But Haruhi is shaking her head. "I'm not... _not_ enjoying it..."

"Oh... well... Are the other students being mean to you or something? Because you can just tell me and Hikaru, and we'll soon sort them out."

She's shaking her head again. "Not that either. They can't exactly be 'mean' to me."

"What do you mean?" Kaoru's eyebrows lower somewhat and he looks bemused.

"There are no other students."

"Huh?" The confused expression intensifies.

"There are no other students because I didn't get in," she explains, sounding calm, but Kaoru knows her well enough that he can see she's upset about it.

"You didn't get in?" Kaoru's eyebrows have risen in surprise. "But... how? Didn't you pass the entrance exam?"

She looks up at him as they continue wandering through the mist. "No, I passed. It's just... There were these fees that needed paying at the beginning of the first semester..."

"Ah. And you couldn't pay them?"

She nods for the first time. "I didn't have enough. I've been saving for years but it didn't even cover half. I guess that's what you get if you aim too high."

"What about a scholarship? That's how you got into Ouran."

She looks saddened and weary, eyes tired from having thought this over again and again, countless times. "There were so many applicants; so many like me. I didn't get one of the places."

She sighs. "So I decided to take a year off, try to earn some money, and then try again next year. If I can get one more job I'll almost certainly have enough."

"How many jobs are you working?" Kaoru asks concernedly.

"At the moment I have this one and two others."

"Why so many?" He is surprised again. Maybe the whole situation is such that surprises are bred every minute.

"It's hard to get a job with decent pay when you're completely unqualified and fresh out of school."

Kaoru thinks this over, trying to measure her carefully blank expression.

"Let me help you."

"What do you mean?" she asks, looking at him sharply.

"Me. I can give you the money. You can start next semest-"

"No."

"What do you mean, 'no'? It's a great idea!"

"Kaoru, I can't use someone else's money to get into uni. It wouldn't be right."

"But... Okay, how about if it were a loan?" he tried to bargain. "I can help you now and later you can pay it back, if that's what bothers you."

"Kaoru, I can't accept it. I'm fine, I can manage."

They're getting nearer to the dorms now, the mist receding slightly, though the promise of rain still hangs in the damp air.

"How about-"

"Kaoru, please, just _drop it_," she says, looking at him sternly and an annoyed look to her soft features. "I'm not going to accept, no matter what you suggest, so you may as well stop wasting your breath."

The pair came to a halt outside Kaoru's dorm building, and Kaoru looks down at Haruhi sadly, not wanting to argue.

"Fine, I won't mention it again," he sighs. "But can I come see you again? I know Hikaru and I have been missing you. Hikaru especially."

Haruhi looks up at him, chewing on her lip a she thinks.

"You can. Hikaru too, but... But only if he really wants to."

The redhead nods in understanding. It would be natural for both of them to be this way about each other.

"Okay, I'll be there next week. Wednesday."

She nods, a smile finally forming on her face.

"Next Wednesday it is."


	2. Chapter 2

**See You Next Wednesday**

**Chapter 2**

**Author's notes:**

Okay, first off, an apology because I am daft as a bat: I have written this with the Western- specifically the English- school year in mind (i.e. September is the start of the year and July I the end). I didn't realise when I began that the Japanese one is different. Sorry. n.n;

Anyway, here's the second chapter of the fic I am writing for my dear friend (and RP buddy) on Gaia, demon-chan. (Not her username, just a nickname. :3) I hope you like this.

And hopefully you'll all see why I left it until now to update this fic at the end. :3

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ouran.

---

They settle into a comfortable pattern.

He goes to see her the following Wednesday like he promised and promises again. And again. And again, until the words that Kaoru says to her every time they part become irrelevant, because each knows that they will see the other the following Wednesday no matter whether he says the words or not. Still, he says them like some kind of magic spell, like the words bind him to the promise like an oath, a vow. Without them, the sense of obligation is gone, not that he needs obligation to go see her. It really has just become a habit, he supposes, but an important one. It is some kind of comfort to him and to her, he thinks.

The weeks go by and November turns colder before becoming December. The rain turns to snow and the days shorten. Still, he goes to see her, subconsciously wearing warmer socks on Wednesdays for the walk through the streets to the café.

He has explained everything to Hikaru, of course. After that first chance meeting with the brunette he went home to find his brother worrying about his late return and he told him all about the meeting with Haruhi in the café, that he was going again next Wednesday and that he was welcome to come along too, if he wanted to. The older twin was, understandably, reluctant. Kaoru did not blame him. It is never easy to forget your first love, even if, in the end, it amounts to nothing. So it is that Kaoru ends up going on a solitary visit to Haruhi every Wednesday.

Haruhi seems to like the visits from her old friend, Kaoru thinks. She doesn't seem to hate them, in any case, which he takes as a good sign. Their conversations are quiet, but they are also, for him, extremely telling. He always wondered what was really going in this girl's head, all the way through high school. Now he gains privileged, if brief, glimpses into her mind.

Kaoru avoids the subject of money and only quietly congratulates her on obtaining another job to help with fees before moving on. He knows that she doesn't want him to make a big fuss about it and so he goes against what he would want to do ordinarily. He wonders privately if she will actually have enough by the end- good universities cost more money and she wants to go to one of the best- if she is working too many hours on minimum wage, but he does not ask her. He wonders too if the answer is in her face, in the faint lines that are maturing her young visage far too early, but says nothing, trying to push the thoughts away to some corner of his mind where all the unwanted thoughts he has ever had crawl about in darkness.

More months pass and their renewed friendship continues to grow. They begin to meet up at other times too, but always meet on Wednesday anyway because it has become a comforting habit and because they enjoy the time they have then. Evenings grow brighter as winter translates seamlessly into spring and Kaoru finds that he no longer needs the warm socks, but instead puts an umbrella into his bag in case of sudden showers.

One Wednesday afternoon in mid-February Kaoru is surprised not to find Haruhi at the café for once. Troubled, he asks a tall raven-haired girl behind the counter if she is there. She shakes her head and explains that Haruhi phoned in sick this morning and that she is most likely at home.

Not sure if he believes that she is ill- Haruhi never gets ill- Kaoru leaves the café and goes out into the mild, still evening, phoning Hikaru as he begins the walk to Haruhi's house.

Some time later, he knocks at the door of the familiar little flat and she answers, worrying the redhead immediately. Her hair is unkempt and looks as though she has run her hands through it many times, she looks tired and she is wearing a pair of pyjamas. But it is her eyes, more than anything, which worry him. The normally warm brown orbs are outlined in pink and the skin around them is puffy. Haruhi never cries. And there has been no thunder for weeks.

"What's wrong?" The words tumble out of his mouth before he even thinks about moving his lips.

Haruhi drops her stare to the doormat under his feet. "I guess it would be useless to tell you I was ill," she says, voice raw.

He nods. "Can I come in?"

Wordlessly, she steps back and lets him in, closing the door behind him quietly.

Kaoru takes a sweeping look around the room before following her into the kitchen.

"Coffee?" She's already filling the kettle at the tap.

"Umm... yes please..." Kaoru doesn't really think about the answer he gives. His eyes are trained on her face, watching and waiting patiently for the resigned slant of her eyebrow that will come, along with a parting of her lips, to tell him that she is ready to explain.

It takes longer than usual for it to come this time. She evades for a long time with the coffee, purposefully not looking at her friend as she pours boiling water into both cups and then spends an eternity stirring, stirring, stirring. Eventually, when the two of them are sat across the table from each other in the main living area, she lifts her head and looks at Kaoru.

"I suppose you want to know what's going on," she says quietly.

"That would be good," replies the redhead, voice neutral.

She sighs. "I got a letter today. I need to start applying for scholarships and stuff, and I did all the sums... and... and..."

Her voice trails away and her eyes are bright. Without really thinking about it, Kaoru gets up and goes to her, putting his arms around her in a supportive embrace. He feels her hesitate and then her face comes to rest on his shoulder and her hands cling to the back of his collar helplessly.

He does not know how long they stay like that. He does not care. As long as Haruhi needs him, he does not care how long. Eventually she seems to calm down a little and sits back again, looking apologetically at him.

"I made your shirt all messy..."

"It doesn't matter. I don't care," he replies.

She sighs again. "Needless to say, I don't think I'll have enough. By September I'll have about three-quarters of what I need. Even if I did get another job-"

"Please don't," puts in Kaoru. "You're working too much already."

"I know, Kaoru. I know my sense of aesthetics is lower than most people's, but I do notice if I start looking unwell."

Kaoru half-smiles at the dry humour in her speech.

"Anyway, I'm not going to, but even if I did get another job there wouldn't be much point. It's all minimum wage and I wouldn't be able to work many hours."

Kaoru looks at her sad, worn-out face and lets out his own sigh.

"I've been thinking," she says. "Maybe I'm not meant to get this. Maybe there's some kind of supernatural intervention or something because I'm not meant to become a lawyer."

"Don't ever say that." Kaoru as leaned slightly closer to her and his tone is stern. "You're meant for big things, Haruhi, I _know_ you are."

She gives him a small smile. "You think so?"

"I know so," he insists. He is not sure why but he leans closer to her to give her a kiss on the cheek.

But then he finds he is kissing her and she is kissing him and he is not sure how this happened but please don't let it stop. He slips his eyes closed as she pulls closer to him and her hands come up to his shoulders. They come apart and stare at each other, Kaoru wondering if that really just happened.

Haruhi lets out a little laugh. "Good to see that someone has faith in me."

Kaoru laughs too and lets his hands drop down her arms to her hands, entwining their fingers together as they lean together again.

A while later- Kaoru does not keep track of time any longer, it seems- they are leaning against the wall of the living room, Haruhi in his arms.

"Haruhi..."

"Hmm?"

"You know... about that offer I made you..."

She is silent, but does not shrink away from him and so he continues. "Well... it's still open... if you want it..."

He leaves the idea with her to decide on and they sit silently for another minute, until Haruhi lets out a resigned noise.

"Okay..."

"Really?"

"Yes... but I have a few conditions: I'll only take anything if I need it, I'll only take what I need and I'm allowed to pay it back."

"Of course."

He cannot express how happy he is, so he leans down and meets his lips with hers again. When he comes back to Earth, he glances at his watch. _Wow... That late? Wait..._ He does a quick mental calculation and then grins at Haruhi. "By the way... Happy Valentine's Day."

Haruhi simply laughs and kisses him again.


	3. Chapter 3

**See You Next Wednesday**

**Chapter 3**

**Author's notes:**

Yes I know it's a late update, but I've had a lot on my plate (oh looky: it rhymes)... It's not lack of inspiration; I have plenty of that. It's more a case of trying to get some time to actually get something written that I'm really happy with and balancing fics and original writing and stuff... Sorry if you've been waiting a long time. I don't do it on purpose to annoy my readers (why would I do that?).

Third chapter of _See You Next Wednesday_... I'm not sure how many more I will have but I'm probably going to wrap it up soon unless I get some sudden, brilliant flash of inspiration for something really dramatic that _must_ happen.

Thanks to "rini anointed436" for helping me brainstorm some more ideas back in February... I'm not sure how many of those ideas I will end up using but it was nice to know someone liked the fic enough to want to help with it.

Still a present for my Gaia friend... Hope you like it!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ouran.

---

Their comfortable pattern doesn't change. Kaoru goes to see Haruhi every Wednesday, walking quickly through evenings which brighten as weeks go silently by. But now he finds that his heart pounds just a beat faster in anticipation of seeing her again and the happy bubble in his chest has multiplied tenfold. Whenever she sees him waiting for her he sees how her smile has changed too: it's just a little wider, a little warmer. Her eyes are happier than they have been in several weeks; perhaps because, as grudgingly as she accepted it, she has security now. She knows she will be going to university now and he can see how much of a comfort that knowledge is to her. The stress that previously dominated her features has alleviated significantly and Kaoru doesn't worry as much. Not that he stops worrying or caring – he still thinks Haruhi should drop more than one of her multiple jobs, even if she has finally agreed to hand in her notice at the charity shop where she is working steaming clothes.

He likes to watch her move around the now familiar café, going about her daily job of bringing various steaming cups of various things to various customers, giving them a polite smile reminiscent of her host club days – well she did spend three years in it – as she sets down the crockery with a gentle noise. Her hair is even longer now, tickling her collar at the longest layer. He decides her likes it, though he is biased. In his opinion, anything would suit her face.

When she finishes he shift they leave the place together, not touching until they are safely outside where Kaoru always pulls her in for a quick, chaste kiss at the end of the road before they continue on their way to wherever it is they go on Wednesdays. Mostly they go back to her flat and are with each other.

They go out on real dates sometimes. Nothing extravagant: Kaoru knows that Haruhi wouldn't like him splashing out expensive restaurants or the formality such an outing would require – and he hates wearing ties. Instead they go walking in parks or go out of the city, take a picnic to some secluded place by a river where they can be with each other and only each other. It's better than anything else Kaoru can remember.

They're not shy with each other like many people would be in their situation. The transition from friends to something more can be awkward and they both remember how it was between Haruhi and Hikaru. However they don't feel strange with one another. Perhaps, they think, it is because they are older now; they've thrown off the uniforms of school and teenage years and actually feel like adults. Maybe, they reflect, it's the months of close friendship, them talking one-on-one far more than they ever did at school; they've prepared the way for a closer relationship and the idea simply seems like an extension on what they have already. Or possibly, they decide, it's just that they can both feel a certain rightness to being together – it's comfortable and being timid never really occurs to them except late at night when insomnia kicks in and they allow their thoughts to drift to one another.

Most of their time together is spent talking. Haruhi tells Kaoru about her hopes for next year – which modules she wants to take, what she looks for in a professor and so on – and Kaoru describes to her his and Hikaru's latest exploits at university – how they captured the hearts of most of the girls in their drawing class and the many times they switched places, just for the hell of it. They listen to each other, offer opinions in mutual conversation and are content.

Sometimes they go back to her home and lie together for hours at a time on her futon. The first time they have sex they laugh a lot because _it's Haruhi_ and _it's Kaoru_ and neither ever thought they would ever be doing this with each other.

Mid-May Haruhi fills in application forms for this grant and that scholarship: form after form, all requesting the same information. She photocopies one and Kaoru sits beside her at her dining table, copying the details into half the remaining forms to help her, telling her jokes and anecdotes to fill the tedious silence.

Hikaru knows all about them. He's noticed the way Kaoru is on Wednesdays and any other day when he's going to see Haruhi. There's a slight change to his smile: it's excited, like a child shaking presents under a merrily sparkling Christmas tree, but secretive, like he's desperate to tell everyone something amazing. He holds himself in that same way – his body language exudes joy where before it was a more relaxed kind of happiness. No one notices except Hikaru.

Kaoru talks to him, consults him, tells him all about how Haruhi is doing, but not unprompted. He's not so love-drunk that he's lost his common sense. Usually Hikaru asks and then he knows it's okay to start talking. To begin with he barely requested the information or anecdotes and Kaoru respected that. Now he asks almost as soon as his brother crosses the threshold, because he can see how happy Kaoru is and how much he wants to tell him about the brunette.

Back in February, when Kaoru mentioned that first kiss with her, Hikaru said nothing and the younger twin worried, but held his silence. Hikaru needed to get to grips with it. Sure enough, after ten minutes of quiet contemplation on both their parts, Hikaru finally lifted his head from the book he had been merely staring at.

"Okay," was all he said.

Kaoru blinked. "Okay?"

Hikaru nodded. "Okay."

"You're going to have to elaborate Hikaru."

The elder twin smiled comfortably. "It's fine. I don't mind."

Kaoru grinned, overjoyed. "Really?"

Hikaru laughed. "Yeah," he replied. "I was never right for her. You're happy and that's what I've always wanted for you. I want Haruhi to be happy too."

Kaoru hugged his brother. "Thank you."

Hikaru has matured since they were sixteen and for that Kaoru is unbelievably grateful as he kisses Haruhi outside her flat after they've posted all her forms.

_She'll make it_, he thinks as he walks away. _I know she will_.


	4. Chapter 4

**See You Next Wednesday**

**Author's notes:**

I know it's been a long time without an update on this story, and for that I am extremely sorry. Life has been so madly busy since I last updated this story (and, really, any of my stories) that I had to take something of an unplanned, rather unwanted, hiatus. Apologies to everyone!

I hope this installment will be worth your wait. It probably won't be, but hopefully you can be content with the ending I give the characters, and appreciate that my writing style has improved (I think...).

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran.

* * *

Their comfortable pattern does not change. Kaoru goes to see her every Wednesday, walking quickly through brightening evenings as the weeks continue by. But now he finds that his heart beats just a little bit faster in anticipation of seeing her again: Haruhi... And whenever he sees her see him waiting for her, he notices how much wider her smile is now; just a degree warmer. Her eyes are happier than they have been, perhaps because, as grudgingly as she accepted it, she has security now. She knows she will be going to university now, and the knowledge is comforting to her. He can tell. The stress that had previously dominated her features has been alleviated a little and so Kaoru doesn't worry as much about her getting tired and having too many jobs: she can drop one of the jobs now and start getting enough sleep again. Not that he stops worrying or caring about her, but it is a relief to him as well as to her.

He watches her move around the familiar café. Her hair is even longer now, almost to her collar. He decides that he likes it, though he thinks anything would suit her lovely face. When she finishes her shift they leave the place together, not touching properly until they are safely outside, where Kaoru pulls her in for a quick, chaste kiss under a street light at the end of the road before they continue on their way back to her flat.

They go out on real dates sometimes. Nothing extravagant: Kaoru knows that Haruhi would dislike him splashing out on expensive restaurants or the formality required for such a venue – that and he hates wearing ties when he's meant to be having fun. Instead they go walking in parks or get out of the city, take a picnic to some secluded place by a river where they can be with each other and only each other. It's better than anything else Kaoru can remember.

They're not shy with each other like others might be in their situation. The transition from friends to a relationship could have been awkward; they remember how it was with Haruhi and Hikaru. Perhaps it is because they are older, that they've thrown off the uniforms of adolescence and now feel like adults. Maybe it's the months of very close friendship, that they talk one-on-one more regularly than they ever did at school. Or possibly it's simply because they both feel a certain rightness to being together that is so comfortable it makes no sense to make it complicated, and timidity seems ridiculous.

Most of their time is spent talking: Haruhi tells him about her jobs and her life, and Kaoru tells her about his and Hikaru's many varied exploits at university. They listen to each other, offer opinions and laugh lots. Sometimes he goes with her to her home and they lie together on her futon for hours. The first time they have sex they laugh a lot because it's Kaoru and it's Haruhi and they never thought they would ever do anything like this with each other.

Mid-May Haruhi starts filling in applications: form after form, all requesting the same information. Haruhi photocopies one and Kaoru sits beside her at the table, filling in half the remaining ones with the same details to help her. They post the various items with high hopes.

Hikaru knows all about them. He's noticed the way Kaoru looks on Wednesdays and any other days he's going to see Haruhi. There's a slight change in his smile, a tiny difference in how he holds himself, unnoticed by any except his twin.

Kaoru talks to him, tells him all about how Haruhi is doing, but not unprompted. He's not stupid. Hikaru asks and he replies. It's rare for Kaoru to say things about Haruhi without prior invitation to do so, and he knows that Hikaru is relieved about this. At least for now.

Back in February, when Kaoru mentioned that first kiss, Hikaru said nothing and the younger twin worried. He did not break the silence between them however, knowing that Hikaru needed it right now; need to wrap himself up in it like a cocoon and deliberate. Finally, after twenty minutes of quiet thought and re-emergence from inside himself, Hikaru spoke:

"Okay," was all he said.

Kaoru blinked. "Okay?"

Hikaru nodded. "Okay."

"You're going to have to elaborate, Hikaru."

The elder twin smiled. "Okay. It's fine. I don't mind."

Kaoru grinned, a lightness in his stomach that made him want to burst out laughing or crying, he didn't know which. "Really?"

Hikaru laughed. "Yeah. I was never right for her, but you are; I can tell. You're happy and that's what I've always wanted for you. I want Haruhi to be happy too."

Kaoru hugged his brother, gratefully and lovingly. "Thank you so much."

Hikaru really has matured since they were sixteen, and Kaoru is unbelievably grateful for that as he kisses Haruhi in parting at the door to her flat after they've posted her forms.

_She'll make it_, he thinks, as he walks away. _I know she will_.

* * *

Haruhi doesn't need to sit her exams again. Her results are high enough that she can get in wherever she wants to, and she has chosen where she will go already – she's known the place since she was much younger. She waits and waits but the days and weeks don't: mild weather turns warmer and Kaoru and Hikaru finish university for the summer. Kaoru tries not to spend too much time with Haruhi and neglect his brother, and when he's with Haruhi he tries to keep her mind off the long-awaited letter. Instead he amuses her with watching films late into evening (though not too late, as she insists) and taking her for quiet daytrips to the beach and countryside.

Then, one day in August, a pile of letters drops onto the doormat inside Haruhi's front door.

"Can you get that?" she asks Kaoru casually, cracking eggs into a frying pan.

He nods and goes to fetch the bundle, dropping the junk mail automatically into the recycling bin, and comes across one on which he recognises the logo.

"Haruhi?"

"Yes...?" She's washing her hands now, but she turns her head to look at him over her shoulder.

"I think this is it." He waves the letter at her, holding it out for her to take.

"Oh..." Her voice is suddenly quieter, not as casual. She turns off the tap and dries her hands, takes the letter from him slowly. He knows that her heart is pounding hard right now and that she doesn't want anything from him right now, other than his presence.

She stares at the outside of the envelope for a moment, her thoughts indeterminable from her expression, then she rips it open and pulls out the folded letter inside. Her eyes rake back and forth for barely a minute before she smiles in relief and looks up at Kaoru.

"Granted," she says simply, her smile turning into that rare grin Kaoru loves.

"Really?" He's grinning too, happiness bubbling up inside him like it did when Hikaru told him he didn't mind his relationship with Haruhi.

"No Kaoru, I'm joking. Of _course_ really!"

He lets out a laugh and pulls her close to him for a tight celebratory hug.

"I knew you'd get it," he tells her hair.

She lets out a lovely, light laugh, arms around his waist.

"It's only a partial grant, but it's enough. As long as I keep a job while studying, I'm fine," she explains.

He kisses her until the smell of burned eggs reaches them and she detaches herself, scurrying off to rescue them. He finds that he can't stop grinning, and he feels he doesn't all day, all week, all _month_.Then, suddenly, she's a law student and looks so comfortable in her new position that he can't help but feel happy whenever he sees her smile.

And still, almost every week, when they part, he tells her the same words:

"See you next Wednesday."


End file.
